Apparatus for distilling oil shales and the like



- 1,607,241 D. J. L. DAVIS ET AL APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING 01L sHALss AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 20.. 1922 2 sheets-sheet 1 1 1.9%

ll 1 V 7 SPENT SNALE zom: or con #505170 -Davi-s George Wflbllace,

Nov. 16 1926.

D. J. DAVIS ET AL APPARATUS FOR Filed S epi. 20. 1922 DISTILLING OIL SHALES AND THE LIKE- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2+- @0 8: 3 gar. 2; "I"; I 75 I I 75 I I eorye WVVZZZZGL'Q,

Patented-Nov. is, 192

f UNI D DAVID J. L. DAVIS AND GEORGE EICOI VIPANY, OF SAN FRANCISCO,

WALLAC on NEW YORK, n. Y., Assrenbns T CALIFORNIA, a oonrona'rron or DELAWARE.

rrnnarus r03, DISTILLING on; SHALESAND THE LIKE;

Application filed September 20, 1822. Serial No. 589,353.

Our invention 'relates to the heat, treat,

Ihent of oil-shales, by which term we intend to include all solid'mineral materials which contain hydrocarbons and yield oil when subjected to heat, either bydestruotive distillation or by simple distillation, the pur pose of said treatment being to obtain oils and by-products therefrom; It consists in a novel apparat'us by which the'opera-tion novel process, we have described and illus-' hated the apparatus, which forms the sub ject matter of this application, as a means for carrying out the process which, broadly stated, consists in progressively feeding the shale upwardly through a closed chamber while drawing or forcing air, with or with out an inert gas or steam, downwardly through the chamber and the charge of shale contained therein, the shale being ignited at the top and the air maintaining a zone of combustion in the upper part of the cliambeninto and through which the shale is constantly being slowly fed, while the oils and vapors distilled off from the shale as it approaches said zone, filter down through the column of cold shale and are drawn oil at the bottom. her or generatolF- v In the accompanying drawings, illustrating a simple form of apparatus embodying our invention,

Fig. l is a side elevation of the apparatus, a portion of the chamber wall being broken away. 1

Fig. 2 is a plan sectional view of the same on line 2-2 of Fig.3, and

Fig. 3 is averticalcentral section through the up ier'part of the chamber.

ln tie example illustrated in these views, the closed chamber 1, in which the shale is treated, is supported in a vertical position by columns 2,'anr.l consists of a cylindrical section, a central C(HllQtllSQCtlOll a, and a curved tapering section 5 leading into the bottom of said conical sectionthe other end of said curved section having its axis. horizontal and constituting the feed inlet for 'means for feeding of the closed chamthe raw shale The top of section 3 is surrounded by a trou h 6 and the chamber is closed by a cover the spent shale leads down from an opening in the bottom of said trough' On a central shaft 10, driven by the bevel gear drive 11 arcarried the scraper arms 12, on the ends'of which are blades 13, traveling in the trough 6. From the horizontal end of'portion 5 a suitably trapped outlet pipe 14 for the oils leads downward, and to the face of said end is secured the feed casing 15, containing a reciprocatory piston 16, or other suitable the shale upwardly through the chamber 1. The axis of the cabing 15 is somewhat above that of the horizontal end section 5, so that the incoming shale will not interfere with the escape of the oil through the outlet pipe 14; The raw shale is supplied to the casing 15, for example, from a closed bin '18. An inlet 19 is providedthrough the cover 7 for the air and other gases and a suction blower may be con- A down-spout 8 fornected to the outlet 21 below the bin 18 to -create a partial vacuum in the apparatus to draw the air, etc. downward through the material, or the air may be forced into the chamber and the pressure in the same be maintained above atmospheric, if desired,

instead of using suction and a ressure below atmospheric. The vapors, w ich arenot condensed in their passage through the raw shale in the chamber, are. preferably drawn off through said outlet 21, but may be drawn off through the pipe 20, through which the bin 18 is filled, so as to obtain additional contact with the incomin cold shale before they are conducted to mal condensing and scrubbing apparatus not shown.

, A portion of the non-condensable gaseous products of combustion may be returned to the inlet 19, by suitable pipe connections, not shown, so asto temper or modify the oxidizing action'of the incoming air and thereby control theintensity of the combus- 'underfeed stoker, of the kind in common use for feeding coal to boiler furnaces, or even, in some cases, an ordinary screw coni 'tion. Steam has the'same effect and also veyor, which may then be arranged in the vertical axis of the generator. It is not es sential that the generator be on a perfectly vertical axis, for it may be inclined, if preferred. Other modifications in mechanical detail may be made Without departing from the spiritof our invention, as expressed in the following Claim:

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

Apparatus forthe continuous distillation of oil shale by internal combustion, comprising a vertical retort tapered downwardly with its lower end curved into the horizontal, a cover for the top of said retort, a

trough surrounding said top Within said cover, revolu ole scraper arms, having de pending portions traveling in said trough, a as inlet through said cover, an oil outlet- .rom said curved. end, and means to vfeed the shale into said end; whereby the shale is fed upward into and through a zone of cornhustion maintained in the top of the retort, the oils being distilled off from the shale below said zone.

In testimony whereof we set our hands.

DAVID J. L. DAVIS. i GEORGE W. WALLACE.

hare hereunto 

